NCI CAM

National Cancer Institute

U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes

of Health

News

Fall 2009

Vol. 4 - Issue 2

The Newsletter of the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine

NCI Botanicals Workshop Focuses on Research Challenges

Conducting a successful Phase III 

clinical trial is a critical research 

benchmark for any new cancer 

treatment. Reaching that goal is 

daunting for all potential therapies, 

but it is especially so for botanical 

compounds. Botanical compounds 

are complex natural substances 

harvested from places such as 

rainforests, seas, and countries all 

over the world. This summer, on 

the National 

Institutes of 

Health (NIH) 

campus, more 

than 100 

conventional 

researchers, 

experienced 

complementary and 

alternative 

medicine 

(CAM) 

researchers, 

policymakers, 

and experts attended a workshop 

designed to tackle the topic of 

botanicals cancer clinical research 

head-on. 

“We wanted these discussions 

to be real and pragmatic,” said 

Jeffrey D. White, M.D., director 

of the NCI Office of Cancer 

Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine (OCCAM) within the 

Division of Cancer Treatment and 

Diagnosis. “NCI is interested in 

the full spectrum of CAM activities 

(prevention, diagnosis, nutrition, 

etc.), but the search for botanicals 

to actively treat cancer is an area of 

special focus.”

From the lively discussions during 

the July 15-16, 2009 workshop, 

a number of ideas emerged about 

how to establish an effective and 

organized clinical trial research 

infrastructure in the United States. 

The image of a pathway was used 

by some at the workshop as a way 

to describe how a botanical could 

move through 

the entire 

development 

spectrum: 

from 

discovery 

and reliable 

harvesting, 

into 

preclinical 

research at 

the bench, 

through to 

animal testing 

and human clinical trials, and 

ultimately to approval by the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) as a cancer treatment in 

humans. 

One idea that kept resurfacing 

throughout the two-day workshop 

was the creation of a consortium. 

Participants discussed the value of 

forming a collaborative network of 

scientists, resources, and facilities 

that would come together around 

a ‘big-picture’ strategic view of the 

field of botanicals research. The 

In this issue:

1

Feature

3

A Conversation with

4

News from the Field

6

Funding Opportunities

8

Reseach Resources

10

Research Highlights

12

CAM Information

14

Meetings

16

Featured Scientific 

Meetings

1

continued on next page
receive a less rigorous review by 

FDA, and approval is not required 

before marketing. “While many 

are in development, our botanical 

drug track has really been tested 

by only one marketing application 

(Veregen); so few botanical 

candidates have tried to navigate 

the regulatory process to come 

anywhere near Phase III trials,” he 

added.

OCCAM Director Jeffrey D. 

White, M.D. noted, “NCI has 

a role as a facilitator in fostering 

botanical research and clinical 

trials”. Barbara Sorkin, Ph.D., a 

program director at the National 

Center for Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine, also 

suggested that “a dedicated, multicomponent funding mechanism 

might have to be developed 

to support a multi-pronged, 

multidisciplinary approach to 

botanical research.” ❧

Review at the FDA, heads the 

agency’s new Botanical Review 

Team. He told the workshop 

participants that FDA has taken 

a number of steps to ensure the 

agency takes into consideration 

the special features of a botanical 

product and makes necessary 

adjustments during its review 

process. The agency issued 

a “Guidance for IndustryBotanical Drug Products,” 

which is a blueprint to facilitate 

development of new therapies 

from botanical sources. However, 

Dr. Chen is disappointed that 

so few investigators have made 

a dedicated effort to push a 

botanical drug all the way through 

the process. “Without big pharma’s 

resources or experiences, the 

nascent botanical industry will 

probably need more help from 

government agencies like NIH to 

move forward,” he noted. 

Many products and formulations 

are put forward by smaller 

companies, most of whom: “are 

content with marketing their 

product as a dietary supplement,” 

explained Dr. Chen. Such products 

mission of such a network would be 

to sift through ideas, identify a few 

important botanical candidates for 

clinical testing, and then galvanize 

support for such studies, whether 

with funds from the government or 

the pharmaceutical industry.

Edward Chu, M.D., deputy 

director at Yale’s Cancer Center 

and its chief of Medical Oncology, 

commented on the frustration 

expressed by some fellow CAM 

researchers about at times 

being relegated to the fringes of 

mainstream medical research. “This 

community must take a more 

rigorous ‘Western’ approach to 

research and the development of 

botanicals, if we expect to compete 

with major drug treatments coming 

out of the pharmaceutical industry 

labs,” he contended.

“Perhaps the best way to convince 

mainstream research scientists and 

clinical investigators about the 

potential efficacy of botanicals and 

herbal medicines is to have at least 

one success story,” said Dr. Chu.

Shaw Chen, M.D., Ph.D., associate 

director for Special Product 

Dr. Freddie Ann Hoffman, co-chair of the Role of Industry in Botanical Drug 

Development working group 

Dr. Emma Shtivelman, co-chair of the 

Targets, Pathways, and Networks in 

Preclinical Models working group

2

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What do you think CAM can 

offer to cancer survivors?

CAM can help restore a sense of 

control to the individual with 

cancer. Patients want to be able 

to do something active, proactive 

even, for their health and wellbeing. An additional part of the 

appeal of CAM is that it feels like 

a ‘natural’ approach to healing for 

survivors, many of whom, after an 

aggressive course of cancer therapy, 

are leery of taking more medicines 

that might expose them to further 

medical problems. Finally, CAM 

use supports the desire of many 

cancer survivors to engage in 

a holistic or more integrative 

approach to their well-being. 

Does OCS have any current 

or upcoming projects related 

to CAM?

One of the areas of research we 

are very interested in is physical 

activity. Activities like tai-chi, yoga, 

dragon boat racing, and fly fishing 

have proven helpful to breast 

cancer survivors in their recovery 

process. In a recently published 

study funded by OCS*, researchers 

documented the benefits of slowly 

progressive weight lifting for breast 

cancer survivors with documented 

Is CAM important to the 

survivorship community? 

How so?

Historically, CAM was very much 

a focus of interest within the 

cancer community, primarily as an 

alternative to the few treatments for 

cancer, many of which had serious 

side effects that were often poorly 

controlled, and whose outcome 

when applied was fairly bleak for 

most of those diagnosed. As a result 

of the advances made in treatment 

options and in the control of 

their side effects, I believe cancer 

patients today are using therapies 

that are complementary, and less 

as an alternative, to conventional 

treatments. They are also talking 

more openly about CAM use, not 

only with family and friends, but 

also their doctors and nurses. 

Beyond the active treatment phase, 

survivors may use CAM to help 

with the lingering side effects of 

treatments, to promote a general 

sense of health, or in an attempt 

to alter the course of their illness. 

In addition, some survivors turn 

to CAM therapies as a way to 

help manage other chronic health 

conditions, whether cancer-related 

or not.

A Conversation with:

Julia Rowland, Ph.D.

Director

Office of Cancer Survivorship

Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences

Please describe the role of the 

Office of Cancer Survivorship 

(OCS) within NCI.

The NCI Office of Cancer 

Survivorship (OCS) was established 

in 1996 as a direct response to 

compelling and articulate advocacy 

from the consumer community, 

which requested more information 

about the unique and poorly 

understood needs of the growing 

population of those living longterm after cancer. The overall 

mission of OCS is to help improve 

not only the length of survival 

time of individuals, but equally 

important, to improve the quality 

of life of all those living with a 

history of cancer. OCS achieves 

this mission by directing and 

supporting research, advocating 

for and underwriting the training 

of researchers and clinicians, and 

participating in the development of 

educational materials and outreach 

programs designed for healthcare 

providers as well as cancer survivors 

and their caregivers. 

 

*ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00194363

3

Dr. Julia Rowland

continued on next page
raise this topic with their healthcare 

team – without fear of being 

dismissed or labeled as ‘kooky’ or 

‘difficult.’ These conversations are 

especially important given how 

quickly information is changing 

about CAM therapies. Both 

provider and patient need to know 

what is safe and effective, or at a 

minimum, will do no harm in the 

course of that individual’s cancer 

care and recovery.

For more information on the Office 

of Cancer Survivorship, visit:

http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/ocs. ❧

Dietary supplements are also 

a popular topic within the 

survivorship community for many 

of the reasons noted above. We, 

along with OCCAM, are interested 

in evidence-based research to 

determine whether these dietary 

cocktails might be beneficial to 

survivors’ health. 

Lastly, our office always promotes 

the importance of physician-patient 

dialogue surrounding CAM. 

Physicians and nurses need to ask 

patients about their use of CAM, 

and patients need to feel free to 

lymphedema or arm swelling. 

This finding challenges the usual 

recommendations for management 

of this condition. 

A further area of interest to many 

survivors and the larger research 

community is the role that stress 

may play in causing cancer and 

affecting its clinical course. OCS 

currently supports a number of 

studies that examine the impact of 

stress management on survivors’ 

general health, quality of life, and 

immune function. 

NCI Opens New Door for CAM Research with Small Grant Program

For the first time, NCI is offering 

grant awards – R03 grants – for 

researchers interested in starting 

small pilot and feasibility studies 

of CAM therapies and practices. 

These studies can generate data 

needed for conducting larger 

scientific studies of CAM in the 

future.

Through the initial R03 Program 

Announcement (PA) released 

last spring, NCI’s Office of 

Cancer Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) 

seeks to “encourage investigators 

to initiate research in areas not 

typically explored” in larger studies 

funded by more rigorous grant 

mechanisms, such as R01 and R21 

awards. 

Isis Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., 

Dr.P.H., who proposed and is 

directing the R03 program for 

OCCAM, said, “These are small 

grants of up to $50,000 a year for 

two-years in direct costs. They’re 

mainly aimed at pilot and feasibility 

studies for CAM. If investigators 

have a CAM therapy to explore, 

they can start a pilot project to 

develop the necessary background 

information to help them move 

forward to apply for a larger grant 

such as an R01 grant. R03s do 

not require that you already have 

background data. It’s actually a tool 

to develop such data.”

She added, “It really opens another 

door for studies of CAM remedies 

that haven’t had the opportunity 

to acquire sufficient pilot data and 

may hopefully, eventually help us 

to find some new CAM treatments 

or therapies for cancer.”

Dr. Mikhail noted that the PA 

spotlights CAM therapies identified by NCI’s Best Case Series 

Program as ideal candidates for 

pilot testing under the R03 grant 

mechanism. Examples of such 

therapeutic regimens include the 

treatment approach of the 

P. Banerji Homeopathic Research 

Foundation, insulin potentiation 

therapy, and macrobiotic lifestyle 

as per the Kushi Institute. Research 

of these approaches is high-risk 

and previous efforts to stimulate 

investigations via single contract 

mechanisms have not been fruitful. 

“Researchers now have a second 

option with the R03 mechanism 

to collect more data to expand 

the cases from best case series 

submissions; maybe do a small 

clinical trial or a study of any 

type of design they see fit,” Dr. 

Mikhail continued. “This provides 

them a ‘Plan B’ that may allow an 

opportunity to show if their CAM 

approach has promise.”

News from the Field

4

from previous page
In 2008, OCCAM staff worked 

together to identify important 

research areas and gaps. OCCAM 

identified three areas of research 

for its focused efforts for the 

R03 and other grant programs. 

These include: 1) identifying 

novel therapeutics in the 

pharmacopeia of traditional 

medical systems as defined by the 

World Health Organization; 2) 

using complementary approaches 

to improve the therapeutic ratio 

of standard and investigational 

anti-cancer therapies; and 3) 

research on lifestyle modifications 

(e.g., diet, exercise, mind-body 

approaches) for their impact on 

cancer outcomes (e.g., response 

to conventional cancer therapy, 

survival).

NCI’s PA for the R03 CAM 

awards is generating considerable 

interest among researchers and 

CAM practitioners, thanks to 

OCCAM’s efforts to advertise the 

program in various medical, CAM 

and integrative medicine journals. 

“I’ve received many phone calls 

and e-mails recently, so our PA is 

starting to get noticed,” said Dr. 

Mikhail.

“With this PA we intend to 

promote the establishment of 

collaborations between researchers 

and CAM practitioners,” she 

continued. “We’re also open 

to international applicants, for 

example, Chinese, Indian, and 

Korean researchers. I’ve received 

phone calls from scientists in 

Germany and Canada. We’re really 

quite excited about this program!”

If the R03 program generates good 

projects, there will be a number of 

follow-up options for researchers, 

Dr. Mikhail explained. “If an 

R03 grantee is successful with a 

small, pilot study, it will help them 

move forward with a larger study, 

possibly an R01. If the funds for 

a successful R03 grant application 

are used to document a clinical 

case series of patients treated with 

an unconventional cancer therapy, 

then that series could be submitted 

to the NCI Best Case Series 

Program, which seeks to identify 

approaches that warrant NCIinitiated research.”

Application deadlines for the 

R03 grants are on the regular 

rolling trimester schedule for 

all NIH grants, with deadlines 

in February, June, and October. 

For more information about this 

announcement, please refer to the 

PA announcement at 

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/

pa-files/PA-09-168.html

or contact Dr. Mikhail at

mikhaili@mail.nih.gov. ❧

Recovery Act Adds CAM Supplements to OCCAM’s Portfolio

Six months after President 

Obama signed the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

of 2009 (Recovery Act), OCCAM 

funded three new supplements to 

grants in its portfolio. Dr. Fazlul 

Sarkar (Wayne State University), 

Dr. Rakesh Srivastava (University 

of Texas Health Center at 

Tyler), and Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng 

(Yale University) were awarded 

supplements to their parent grants.

The Recovery Act was developed as 

an effort to jumpstart our economy, 

create or save millions of jobs, and 

put a down payment on addressing 

long-neglected research challenges 

in our country. NIH received 

$10.4 billion to spend over 

two years on research and 

infrastructure. NIH research 

funding awarded through the 

Recovery Act was selected based on 

the ability to: promote job creation; 

develop the economy; accelerate the 

pace and achievement of scientific 

research; and have high impact on 

the field of research.

Two of OCCAM’s Recovery Act 

supplements were chosen, in part, 

because they address a highly 

significant area of research – 

pancreatic cancer, which is a cancer 

with both a very poor prognosis 

and 5-year survival rate. 

Dr. Sarkar was awarded a 

supplement to a parent study, 

which examines B-DIM – a 

natural non-toxic agent – for 

its chemopreventive and 

chemotherapeutic effects against 

pancreatic cancer. The parent grant 

seeks to elucidate the mechanistic 

role of several signaling molecules 

in pancreatic cancer and further 

assess the role of B-DIM for the 

inhibition of pancreatic cancer 

cell growth, migration, and 

angiogenesis; and induction of 

apoptosis in vitro, and the antitumor activity in xeno-graft as well 

as in two distinct transgenic animal 

models of pancreatic cancer. The 

supplement will allow Dr. Sarkar 

5

continued on next page
to perform novel experiments 

for assessing the expression of 

miRNA and its relationship to 

gene expression profiles of target 

genes by microarray of pancreatic 

tumors, with and without 

B-DIM treatment using 2 distinct 

transgenic animal models. 

(Grant number: 3R01CA131151-

02S1)

Dr. Srivastava has been awarded 

a supplement to a parent grant 

studying the green tea polyphenol 

epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). 

EGCG is a natural non-toxic 

product, which exerts significant 

inhibitory effects on diverse 

cellular events associated with 

tumor initiation, promotion, and 

progression. The parent grant is 

investigating whether EGCG can 

be used as a chemo-preventive 

agent against pancreatic cancer 

using xenograft, orthotopic and 

KrasG12D transgenic mouse models, 

and to examine the molecular 

mechanisms by which EGCG 

causes growth arrest and apoptosis 

in pancreatic cancer. Both these 

processes are not well understood. 

The main hypothesis of the parent 

grant is that EGCG will inhibit 

the Ras-dependent P13K/Akt and 

MAP kinase activities and that 

these two will converge to regulate 

FOXO transcription factors, cell 

growth, and apoptosis in pancreatic 

cancer cells. 

The objective of Dr. Srivastava’s 

supplement is to examine how 

JAK/STAT3 pathway mediates 

chemopreventive properties of 

EGCG in vitro and KrasG12D 

transgenic mouse model in vivo. 

In addition, he will assess whether 

inhibition of STAT3 can enhance 

the biological effects of EGCG and 

gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer.

(Grant number: 3R01CA125262-

02S1)

Dr. Cheng was awarded an 

equipment supplement to continue 

the work of his U01 project, 

which examines the mechanisms 

of anticancer activity of the 

nucleoside analog troxacitabine 

(L-OddC), and PHY906, a 

Chinese herbal mixture. The 

equipment supplement will replace 

old and unreliable equipment 

utilized for separation, purification, 

detection, and storage of RNA, 

DNA, protein, and small molecules 

and will improve the capacity to 

quantify and characterize protein, 

RNA, and DNA from small tissue 

samples. Replacing and upgrading 

the equipment will accelerate and 

improve the scientific research 

conducted. 

(Grant number: 3R01CA063477-

14S1)

“By allowing more in depth 

investigation of these research 

topics with more up-to-date 

equipment, these supplement 

funds will speed the progress of 

these scientists in the generation 

of their important findings, while 

also retaining or hiring new staff in 

their labs, thus contributing to our 

nations economic recovery,” said 

OCCAM’s Director Dr. Jeffrey D. 

White.

For more information on the 

Recovery Act, visit 

www.nih.gov/recovery/index.htm. 

To search for ARRA grants, visit 

http://projectreporter.nih.gov/

reporter.cfm.

For more information on other 

CAM-related ARRA Grant Awards 

funded through NCI, visit

www.cancer.gov/cam/research_

arra_awards_2009.html. ❧

Program Announcement (PA) 

PA-09-130, titled “Exploratory 

Grants for Behavioral Research in 

Cancer Control (R21).” In this 

PA’s invitation for applications, 

developmental and formative 

behavioral research in cancer 

prevention and control, including 

investigations of CAM therapies, 

are requested. 

This PA includes and incorporates 

research interests in CAM topics 

such as physical activity and 

nutrition, as well as mind-body 

practices, manipulative and 

Funding Opportunities

Funding Available for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control

Cancer patients and survivors use 

complementary and alternative 

medicine (CAM) approaches 

extensively. In March 2009, the 

National Cancer Institute (NCI) 

and the National Center for 

Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine (NCCAM) released 

6

from previous page
body-based interventions, and 

approaches derived from traditional 

medical systems, which may 

improve the quality of life of cancer 

patients and survivors. Nutrition 

and physical activity as keys to an 

energy balance strategy play an 

important role in the prevention 

of the initiation, promotion, and 

progression of cancer. 

Approaches of interest include 

the development of outcomes 

measurements and instruments 

relevant to adherence, efficacy 

and effectiveness of integrative 

practices in relevant groups, as well 

as pilot studies to optimize such 

interventions for subsequent, more 

extensive clinical studies. Such pilot 

studies may include optimization of 

dose or treatment schedule, as well 

as the development of feasible and 

meaningful control conditions. 

This PA will support research to:

 Refine current theoretical 

mechanisms of behavior 

change as well as focus on 

developing new models to 

examine and explain key 

factors that specifically 

influence diet and physical 

activity behaviors. 

Examining the Effect of Dietary Components on Natural Killer Cells 

In April 2008, NCI published the 

Program Announcement (PA) PA08-132, “Enhancing Tumoricidal 

Activity of Natural Killer (NK) 

Cells by Dietary Components for 

Cancer Prevention (R01)”. The aim 

of this PA is to stimulate research 

efforts aimed at establishing 

the physiological significance of 

dietary components in regulating 

the tumoricidal cell activity of 

natural killer (NK) cells for cancer 

prevention.

Research projects proposed 

in response to this funding 

announcement should focus on 

defining the minimum quantity 

and duration of exposure to 

specific dietary components to 

change tumoricidal activity of 

NK cells for cancer prevention 

and the underlying mechanism(s) 

accounting for this response. 

Proposed projects must 

include animal and/or human 

investigations to be considered 

responsive to this announcement. 

PA-09-130 invites applications on nutrition research 

 Explain how individuals and 

groups maintain healthy 

behaviors and support study 

of the interplay of multiple 

health behaviors that may 

exist such as between sleep 

and physical activity, diet, and 

obesity. 

 Clarify the relative 

contribution of sedentary 

lifestyle and fitness as distinct 

from physical activity effects 

on health promotion and 

cancer. Applications that 

focus on the relationship 

between genotypes and health 

behaviors, specifically as it 

relates to food preferences 

and physical activity are 

encouraged.

 Examine if existing diet and 

physical activity measures 

are appropriate for minority, 

low-literacy, and/or high-risk 

populations.

For more information, 

please review the following 

announcement: 

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/

pa-files/PA-09-130.html or 

Dr. Sabra Woolley at 

woolleys@mail.nih.gov. ❧

7

continued on next page
Research Resources

NCI offers the following researchrelated resources, which are often 

unknown to investigators: 

RAID (Rapid Access to 

Intervention Development)

NCI makes available resources to 

academic discovery laboratories 

and not-for-profit organizations 

for pre-clinical development of 

drugs and biologics through its 

RAID program. RAID is designed 

to facilitate the translation of 

novel, scientifically meritorious 

therapeutic interventions 

originating in the academic 

community to the clinic. The 

goal of RAID is clinical “proof of 

principle” that a new molecule 

or approach is a viable candidate 

for expanded clinical evaluation, 

particularly in areas such as rare 

cancers, pediatric cancer, clinical/

molecular pharmacodynamics, 

certain specified classes of 

biologics, natural products, and 

small molecule and antibody 

development for concomitant 

imaging studies. The output of 

RAID activities are products and 

information that will be made 

fully available to the originating 

investigator for support of an IND 

application and clinical trials. 

RAID proposals are accepted twice 

a year. Since its beginning in 1998, 

RAID has approved 104 projects 

out of the 288 proposals submitted. 

For more information on RAID, 

call 301-496-8720, or e-mail 

ncidtpraidinfo@mail.nih.gov.

PubChem

Developed by the National Center 

for Biotechnology Information, 

PubChem is a component of 

NIH’s Molecular Libraries 

Roadmap Initiative, and it provides 

information on the biological 

activities of small molecules. 

PubChem is three databases — 

PubChem Substance (chemical 

substances screened for bioactivity), 

PubChem Compound (small 

molecule chemical structures), and 

PubChem BioAssay (bioactivity 

screens of chemical substances). 

Results of biological screening, 

links to published articles, and 

protein 3D structures are available. 

To access PubChem, visit 

http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.

■ PubChem Substance:

The PubChem Substances 

Database contains descriptions 

of chemical samples, from 

a variety of sources, and 

links to PubMed citations, 

protein 3D structures, and 

biological screening results 

that are available in PubChem 

BioAssay. If the contents of a 

In vitro models can be used only 

to support in vivo studies, and 

therefore, should not constitute the 

primary focus of the application. 

Molecular targets for food 

components may be examined at 

the sites of: 

1. The tumoricidal cell receptors 

and cancer cell specific ligands;

2. The release of tumoricidal 

cytokines such as IFN-γ; and

3. The release of lytic granules 

such as granulysin, perforin, 

and serine proteases 

(granzymes).

Researchers are encouraged to 

contact Program Director 

Young S. Kim, Ph.D., at the 

Division of Cancer Prevention; she 

can be reached at 

kimyoung@mail.nih.gov. 

OCCAM also welcomes questions 

regarding funding opportunities. 

Please contact Research 

Development and Support 

Program Director Dr. Isis Mikhail 

at mikhaiki@mail.nih.gov.

For more information about this 

PA, please visit: 

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/

pa-files/PA-08-131.html. ❧

8

from previous page

NCI Provides Resources to Researchers
chemical sample are known, 

the description includes links 

to PubChem Compound.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/

entrez?db=pcsubstance

■ PubChem Compound:

The PubChem Compounds 

Database contains validated 

chemical depiction information 

provided to describe substances 

in PubChem Substance. 

Structures stored within 

PubChem Compounds are preclustered and cross-referenced 

by identity and similarity 

groups. Additionally, calculated 

properties and descriptors are 

available for searching and 

filtering of chemical structures.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/

entrez?db=pccompound

■ PubChem BioAssay: 

The PubChem BioAssay 

Database contains bioactivity 

screens of chemical substances 

described in PubChem 

Substance. It provides 

searchable descriptions of each 

bioassay, including descriptions 

of the conditions and readouts 

specific to that screening 

procedure. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/

entrez?db=pcassay

Mouse Models of Human 

Cancers Consortium Repository

NCI’s Mouse Models of Human 

Cancer Consortium (MMHCC) 

Repository is an NCI-funded 

resource for mouse cancer models 

and associated strains. Comprised 

of 25 principal investigators, 

which connect more than 50 

research institutions in the United 

States and abroad, MMHCC is 

a collaborative program designed 

to derive and characterize mouse 

models, to generate resources and 

information, and to use innovative 

approaches in pre-clinical trials and 

drug intervention studies. 

The repository makes strains 

available to all members of the 

scientific community (academic, 

non-profit, and commercial). 

MMHCC strains are maintained 

as live colonies or cryoarchived 

as frozen embryos, depending on 

demand. Up to three breeder pairs 

may be ordered from live colonies. 

Cryoarchived strains are supplied 

as frozen embryos or recovery of 

live mice by the MMHCC may be 

requested. 

A complete list of available 

strains can be found on the site. 

Researchers are encouraged to 

submit their cancer models to 

the MMHCC for archiving and 

distribution. Submission requests 

are reviewed and evaluated by the 

MMHCC Repository Committee.

For more information on 

MMHCC, visit 

http://emice.nci.nih.gov/emice.

Developmental Therapeutics 

Program Databases of Open 

Compounds and Data on Cell 

Lines

NCI’s Developmental Therapeutics 

Program (DTP) maintains a 

repository of synthetic compounds 

and pure natural products that 

are available to investigators for 

non-clinical research purposes. 

DTP sends samples to investigators at labs all over the world 

9

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Research Highlights

The 100th annual meeting of the 

American Association for Cancer 

Research – held April 18-22, 2009 

in Denver, Colorado – featured 

poster and symposium sessions 

on diet, nutrition, and cancer. 

Research results highlighting 

the potential for whole foods 

and isolated plant compounds, 

vitamins, and other natural 

products to prevent and treat 

cancer were presented by over 50 

teams of researchers from across 

the country and international 

institutions.

Plant Compounds Show 

Anticancer Effects

Many studies presented at 

AACR examined compounds 

extracted from herbs and seeds for 

CAM Research on Display at the AACR Annual Meeting

potential anticancer properties. 

Thymoquinone, a phytochemical 

compound extracted from the plant 

Nigella sativa, was tested against 

several cancer types. In laboratory 

experiments using pancreatic cancer 

cell lines, investigators from M.D. 

Anderson Cancer Center observed 

that thymoquinone was able to 

increase the cell-killing effects 

of gemcitabine, a chemotherapy 

Over 20,000 vialed samples and 

3,500 plates are shipped from the 

Repository to external investigators 

throughout the world annually. 

Samples are available at no cost 

except for shipping charges. The 

Repository collection is a uniquely 

diverse set of more than 200,000 

compounds that have been either 

submitted to DTP for biological 

evaluation or, in some cases, 

synthesized under DTP auspices. 

Importantly, investigators should 

note that chemical structures of 

these substances are those assigned 

by the originator of the material 

and in the vast majority of cases, 

the compounds have not been 

analyzed by DTP for accuracy of 

structure or for the purity of the 

sample. Compounds are available 

through a web-based ordering 

system.

For more information on DTP’s 

resources, visit 

http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/guide.html. ❧

Office of Cancer Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine

6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 609

Bethesda, Maryland 20892

E-mail: ncioccam-r@mail.nih.gov

http://cancer.gov/cam

Contact Information

10

from previous page

Notice about the CRISP Function on NIH’s RePORT Web Site

On September 1, 2009, the CRISP 

system was retired and replaced by 

the NIH RePORTER (Research 

Portfolio Online Reporting Tool 

Expenditures and Results). A beta 

version of the new RePORTER 

tool has been released to the public. 

This new tool retains all of the 

features of CRISP, while providing 

additional query fields, hit lists 

that can be sorted and downloaded 

to Excel, NIH funding for each 

project (expenditures), and the 

publications and patents that have 

acknowledged support from each 

project (results). RePORTER also 

provides links to PubMed Central, 

PubMed, and the U.S. Patent & 

Trademark Office Patent Full Text 

and Image Database, for more 

information on research results. 

New features will be added to 

RePORTER in several releases 

throughout fiscal year 2010. In 

the meantime, comments on 

RePORTER are being solicited 

through the feedback link on the 

RePORTER site.

To preview the new RePORTER 

tool, visit 

http://projectreporter.nih.gov/

reporter.cfm. ❧
Eating walnuts may prevent breast cancer. 

Ginger Helps Reduce Nausea from Chemotherapy

Reprinted from the Cancer 

Bulletin, May 19, 2009 

www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/ 

051909/page3

Ginger helped prevent or reduce 

chemotherapy-induced nausea 

when taken with traditional antinausea drugs by patients with 

cancer, researchers have found. 

The results are from a randomized, 

double-blind, placebo-controlled 

clinical trial, the largest study to 

examine the potential effects of 

ginger on chemotherapy-related 

drug most commonly used in 

pancreatic cancer, possibly by 

regulating genes that would make 

the cancer cells more sensitive to 

gemcitabine treatment. Another set 

of experiments from the University 

of Miami suggested that the 

combination of thymoquinone 

and another compound, curcumin 

(which is found in the spice 

tumeric), had anti-inflammatory 

effects in benign prostatic 

hyperplasia (BPH). Inflammation 

is thought to play a role in the 

development of some tumor types, 

such as prostate cancer.

Vitamin K1 Helps Sorafenib 

Kill Kidney Cancer Cells

In experiments performed in 

cultured cells, researchers from 

Thomas Jefferson University in 

Pennsylvania showed that doses of 

vitamin K1 given to liver cancer 

cells, along with the targeted drug 

Sorafenib, could both inhibit cell 

growth and cause cell death. In 

these experiments, the doses of 

both vitamin K1 and Sorafenib 

given to the cells were not large 

enough to stop cancer cell growth 

alone, but the combination of 

the two compounds at low doses 

had cell-killing effects. The use 

of vitamin K1 with low-dose 

Sorafenib may be a promising 

approach to liver cancer prevention 

in people at high risk of the disease 

such as those with cirrhosis, the 

researchers explained.

Walnuts Reduce Tumor 

Incidence, Number, and Size in 

Mouse Model of Breast Cancer

Scientists from Marshall University 

School of Medicine in West 

Virginia reported that transgenic 

mice fed the human equivalent 

of 2 ounces of walnuts a day were 

significantly less likely to develop 

mammary tumors than mice 

fed a standard diet. In addition, 

mice on the walnut diet that did 

develop tumors grew smaller 

tumors in fewer glands. Analysis 

of the molecular effects of the diet 

showed that walnuts increased the 

amount of omega-3 fatty acids and 

decreased the amount of omega-6 

fatty acids in the mammary glands. 

The walnut diet also altered the 

expression of genes involved 

in cell proliferation, apoptosis 

(programmed cell death), and 

differentiation (cell maturation). 

“With dietary interventions you 

see multiple mechanisms when 

working with the whole food,” said 

Dr. Elaine Hardman, lead author 

of the study, in an accompanying 

press release.

“It is notable that, as the link 

between diet and cancer is 

becoming clearer; more research 

is focusing on this area of lifestyle 

change, and in recent years, AACR 

has been featuring more of this 

research in its meetings,” said Isis 

Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., 

director of OCCAM’s Research 

Development and Support 

Program. “The abstracts presented 

at AACR show both the rigor of 

basic science in the area of natural 

products research as well as the 

clinical and translational potential 

of dietary and nutritional lifestyle 

changes and their effectiveness in 

cancer outcomes.” ❧

11

continued on next page
to engage NIH subject matter 

experts to post to the site and to 

ensure that high quality medical 

and science information is 

available on the site. 

Wikipedia contains nearly 13.5 

million articles written in over 250 

languages. In May, it served over 

315 million unique visitors. The 

site manages, on average, more 

than 14 million page views per 

On July 16, Wikimedia 

Foundation- the non-profit 

organization that runs Wikepedia.

org- hosted its first ever U.S. 

Wikipedia Academy on the NIH 

Bethesda campus. The academy 

is a public outreach event created 

to teach participants how to 

contribute to Wikipedia and 

orient the audience to Wikipedia’s 

structures and community policies. 

NIH joined forces with Wikimedia 

CAM Information

Wikimedia Foundation and NIH Meet to Discuss Health 

Information on the Web

nausea. The study will be presented 

May 30 at the ASCO annual 

meeting in Orlando, FL.

“We have found that ginger 

supplementation is an effective 

tool against chemotherapy-related 

nausea,” said lead investigator 

Dr. Julie Ryan of the University 

of Rochester Medical Center, 

who discussed the findings at a 

press briefing last week. All doses 

of ginger evaluated in the study 

significantly reduced nausea 

compared with placebo, she noted.

The trial, funded by NCI’s 

Community Clinical Oncology 

Program, included 644 patients, 

most of them women, who were 

receiving chemotherapy for breast, 

digestive, lung, or other cancers. 

These patients received a placebo 

or one of three doses of ginger 

(0.5 g, 1.0 g, or 1.5 g) for 6 days, 

including 3 days leading up to the 

first day of chemotherapy and 2 

days after chemotherapy began. 

They also received traditional 

anti-nausea medications during the 

study. Patients rated their nausea 

four times per day on a scale of 1 

to 7.

Each dose of ginger was more 

effective than the placebo at 

mitigating nausea. The most 

effective doses were either 0.5 g or 

1.0 g, taken during the first day 

of chemotherapy. Effectiveness 

decreased linearly over a 24-hour 

period. The highest dose may not 

be as effective, the researchers 

speculated, because it is more than 

the maximum absorption dose for 

biological activity. ❧

Correction

In the Spring 2009 issue of NCI CAM News, the article 

“Vitamin C as a Potential Anti-Cancer Agent: Progress and 

Controversies” gave credit to Dr. Humphrey Osmond as 

having first speculated that vitamin C could be useful as 

an anti-cancer agent by strengthening collagen and thereby 

preventing the spread of metastases. The article should have 

instead credited Dr. William McCormick.

12

from previous page
hour1

. The latest data from the Pew 

Internet and American Life Project 

states that 61% of Americans adults 

look online for health information2

. 

The collaboration between NIH 

and the Wikimedia Foundation 

is a step in the direction of more 

accurate and reliable online health 

information. 

The Office of Cancer 

Complementary and Alternative 

Find and Order NCI Publications More Easily 

NCI has announced the launch of 

the new NCI Publications Locator 

Web site. A team from the NCI’s 

Office of Communication and 

Education (OCE) recently led 

efforts to redesign the interface, 

making it easier to find and order 

NCI publications. To ensure that 

the new site would be more userfriendly, the OCE team conducted 

usability and focus group testing. 

After a year of hard work, the result 

is a system with greater accessibility 

and advanced features. 

Many improvements have been 

made to the NCI Publications 

Locator site. The new design has 

a similar look to NCI’s Web site, 

cancer.gov, which allows the user 

a familiar experience. From the 

homepage of the new site, a user 

finds lists of publications organized 

into categories that can be quickly 

scanned; an announcements 

section, which features new and 

updated publications; a search 

function; and A-Z quick links that 

take the user to publications with 

titles that begin with each letter. 

Now, NCI Publications Locator site 

provides more information about 

each publication: NIH publication 

number; description; thumbnail 

image, if available; last review 

date; number of pages; format; 

language; target audience; a list of 

related products; and a link to the 

publication online. 

Users can also order publications 

more easily with an improved 

search and advanced search 

function. A shopping cart area, 

where users can see their selected 

publications and quantity, is 

available as well as find a shopping 

cart icon indicating where they 

are in the ordering process. For 

users who would like to print 

publications, instead of ordering 

them, NCI Publications Locator 

offers separate PDFs of the NCI’s 

professionally designed covers and 

content for certain publications 

through its Contents and Covers 

service. Additionally, certain 

publication covers can be ordered 

in batches of twenty-five. 

NCI currently offers 18 

publications on CAM, which 

can be found by selecting 

“Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine” from the Subject list 

on the NCI Publications Locator 

home page. To order or view these 

CAM publications or those on 

other topics, visit 

https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/

home.aspx. ❧

1

 National Institutes of Health. (2009, July 14). NIH and Wikimedia Foundation Collaborate to Improve Online Health Information 

[press release]. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2009/od-14.htm

2

 Pew Internet and American Life Project. (2009). The Social Life of Health Information. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from 

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/8-The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information.aspx?r=1

Medicine (OCCAM) has joined 

the call for improving access to 

health information by creating 

its own entry on Wikipedia.org. 

OCCAM wants to raise awareness 

of the resources it can provide 

to the public and intends to 

continually update its entries along 

with other entries on CAM-related 

topics. Through multiple online 

channels, like the OCCAM Web 

site and Wikipedia.org, OCCAM 

is dedicated to communicating 

cancer CAM topics in a fashion 

that reaches the widest audience 

possible and enhances the public’s 

understanding of the evidence 

regarding cancer and CAM. ❧

13
In May 2009, over 790 health 

care professionals – both 

CAM and conventional – and 

researchers from 24 countries 

met in Minneapolis, Minnesota 

for the North American Research 

Conference on Complementary 

and Integrative Medicine 

(NARCCIM). This four-day 

conference was sponsored by 

the Consortium of Academic 

Health Centers for Integrative 

Medicine, which consists of 42 

leading academic medical centers 

from across North America. The 

desired result for the event was to 

provide an environment for new 

collaborations to develop and 

established ones to grow. 

The plenary talks, poster sessions, 

and keynote speeches covered a 

spectrum of integrative medicine 

research areas: basic science, 

clinical, methodological, health 

services, and education. 

Presentations on integrative 

cancer care were abundant at 

NARCCIM. On the third day of 

the conference, a symposium titled 

“Integrative Medicine in Cancer 

Care” examined topics such as 

statistics on and reasons for CAM 

use, current knowledge on the 

impact of diet and supplements on 

cancer prevention and treatment, 

mind-body interventions and the 

effect of stress on disease outcomes, 

and complexities in cancer CAM 

research and ethics. Speakers for the 

symposium included the following: 

Moshe Frenkel, M.D., Eran BenArye, M.D., Stephen Sagar, M.D., 

Donald Abrams, M.D., Mary 

Hardy, M.D., Lorenzo Cohen, 

Ph.D., Marja Verhoef, Ph.D., 

Elad Schiff, M.D., Jillian Capodice, 

L.Ac., Shachar Lev Ari, Ph.D., 

and George Lewith, M.D. 

Other cancer CAM presentations 

included:

 “CAM is part of who I am”: 

Framing the Decision to Use 

CAM Within Cancer Care

 The Effect of Therapeutic 

Touch on Osteosarcoma 

Cells

 Cancer Treatment from 

a Complexity Science 

Perspective

 Building a Library of 

Authenticated Medicinal 

Plants to Systematically 

Evaluate Their Extracts and 

Fractions for Anti-Cancer 

Properties

 Online Narrative 

Interventions for Aging 

Cancer Patients: A Feasibility 

Study

 A Systematic Review of 

Epidemiological Studies on 

the Prevalence of CAM Use 

by Pediatric Cancer Patients

In addition to sessions on 

CAM’s application to a variety of 

diseases, the conference agenda 

included sessions on writing grant 

applications and experiential 

sessions of tai chi and yoga. 

Practice Assessment Program 

Coordinator Commander 

(USPHS) Colleen Lee, M.S., 

CRNP, AOCN®, said this about 

the meeting, “The key to success 

for this conference was the 

intertwining of academia, clinical 

practice, and research. The forum 

for sharing a vision in integrative 

medicine is unmatched elsewhere.”

The conference takes place every 

three years. The location and date 

of the next NARCCIM have not 

yet been announced. ❧

Meetings

Integrative Cancer Care Among Topics at Continental Conference 

14

Sign-up for OCCAM’s Listserv

Stay up-to-date on the latest cancer CAM news at NCI with OCCAM’s listserv, OCCAM Announcements. 

As a listserv subscriber, you will receive a monthly email about upcoming workshops and lectures, new 

funding opportunities, publications, and other resources. To subscribe, simply visit OCCAM’s Web site: 

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/news-listserv.html.
Two OCCAM Staff Members Present at Cancer Guides II Conference

OCCAM Director Jeffrey D. 

White, M.D., and Research 

Development and Support Program 

Director Isis Mikhail, M.D., 

M.P.H., Dr.P.H., recently attended 

the Cancer GuidesTM II 2009 

Cutting Edge Integrative Cancer 

Care conference. The four-day 

conference, held June 11-14, 2009, 

covered many facets of integrative 

oncology with opportunities for 

learning, break out discussions, 

and workshops. Topics included: 

survivorship, complementary and 

alternative therapies, research, 

grant funding, integrative cancer 

care approaches, nutrition, dietary 

supplements, and end of life issues.

Suggested conference attendees 

included: oncologists, nurses 

and nurse practitioners, patient 

advocates, CAM practitioners, 

dietitians and nutritionists, and 

cancer survivors.

Dr. White gave a presentation titled 

“Integrative Oncology: Thoughts 

Regarding Future Development,” 

in which he discussed OCCAM’s 

role in integrative oncology and 

cited NCI and other OCCAMfunded research. The conference 

also provided an opportunity 

to highlight the NCI Best Case 

Series Program and to encourage 

conference participants to submit 

to the series. 

Dr. Mikhail spoke about applying 

for grant funding from NCI for 

research surrounding CAM and 

cancer. Dr. Mikhail also hosted 

a round table discussion where 

interested participants could speak 

to her more in depth about grant 

funding. “Many of the participants 

had never received grants training 

before, so I was able to answer lots 

of questions about the process,” 

Dr. Mikhail stated. ❧

OCCAM Director Attends Globalization of Chinese Medicine Annual Meeting

The Consortium for Globalization 

of Chinese Medicine (CGCM) 

held its annual meeting in 

Nottingham, England on August 

26-28, 2009. The aim of the 

CGCM is to promote and globalize 

Chinese herbal medicine by 

sharing knowledge from academic, 

industrial, and regulatory bodies 

worldwide. The 2009 meeting was 

the 8th meeting of the Consortium, 

which now is composed of 

scientists from over ninety 

academic centers and biomedical 

companies around the world. 

OCCAM Director, Jeffrey D. 

White, M.D. attended the meeting 

as Chairman of the Workshop 

Discussion Session: Clinical Trial I 

(Cancer and Liver Inflammation). 

This session included a plenary 

lecture and discussion of abstracts 

submitted to the session. “I 

described the NCI’s CAM research 

activities, focusing on those related 

to the evaluation of aspects of 

Traditional Chinese Medicine, 

and our recent meeting exploring 

research on botanicals in cancer 

research. Many of the members 

of this consortium are researching 

natural products with anti-cancer 

activities, which makes this meeting 

one of the few venues for the 

presentation of new findings in that 

field,” said Dr. White.

The meeting was successful 

in showcasing research and 

development in the area of 

Traditional Chinese Medicine 

(TCM). Key topics included: 

international collaborations, 

education, regulatory affairs, 

clinical trials in TCM, quality 

control, biological activities and 

mechanisms, herbal resources, 

and bioinformatics and databases. 

Other National Institutes of 

Health (NIH) meeting participants 

included National Center for 

Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine Director Dr. Josephine 

Briggs, who chaired a plenary 

session, and Dr. Paul Coates, 

director of NIH’s Office of Dietary 

Supplements. Dr. Shaw Chen, 

associate director & botanical 

team leader in the Center for 

Drug Evaluation and Research 

of the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration, also attended 

the meeting. The meeting 

ultimately served as a platform 

for the extension of international 

collaboration and cooperation 

in Chinese medicine between 

worldwide partner organizations 

including academic, government 

and industry groups.

For more information about the 

Consortium for Globalization of 

Chinese Medicine, visit the Web 

site at: http://www.tcmedicine.org.

❧

15
Featured Scientific Meetings

Date Meeting Location OCCAM Staff

Attending

August 25-28, 2009

September 24-26, 2009

September 24-25, 2009

October 15-17, 2009

November 7-11, 2009

November 12-13, 2009

January 7-9, 2010

8th Meeting of the Consortium 

for Globalization of Chinese 

Medicine

9th Annual Meeting of the 

Comprehensive Cancer Center 

of Wake Forest University 

Community Clinical Oncology 

Program Research Base

HINTS Data Users Conference 

Partners in Progress

2009 International Cancer 

Education Conference

American Public Health 

Association Annual Meeting*

Society for Integrative Oncology*

Evidence-based Complementary 

and Alternative Cancer Therapies 

Conference

Nottingham, England

Ashville, NC

Silver Spring, MD

Houston, TX

Philadelphia, PA

New York City, NY

West Palm Beach, FL

Dr. Jeffrey D. White

Dr. Isis Mikhail

Liz Austin

Shea Buckman

Liz Austin

Shea Buckman

Dr. Isis Mikhail**

Shea Buckman

Dr. Isis Mikhail

Dr. Dan Xi

Shea Buckman

*Indicates that an OCCAM staff member will be at the NCI or OCCAM exhibit booth.

**The NCI booth will host a Meet-the-Expert session with Dr. Isis Mikhail on November 8, 2009 at 3 p.m.

To obtain a copy of this newsletter or for inquiries on 

cancer and CAM, please contact 

1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

NIH Publication No. 10-6407

November 2009

16